Need Cycle Help

38 gallon tank was cycled in January And I had 8 glofish tetras. I waited 5 weeks of reading 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. I lost a tetra for unknown reason and then I added 5 albino Corys last week. MinI cycle commenced. I lost 1 Cory and 1 baby tetra. Now a total of 10 fish in tank.

Before I added the Corys a week ago, I changed 50% water. Night before last I changed about 30% and added aragonite sand and a plant. Today my readings are 0 ammonia, .5 nitrite and 20 nitrate. Is it normal for everything to be so high after just changing less than 48 hours ago? Should I do daily ?

 

Yes it's normal, daily water change unnecessary.

 

38 gallon tank was cycled in January And I had 8 glofish tetras. I waited 5 weeks of reading 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. I lost a tetra for unknown reason and then I added 5 albino Corys last week. MinI cycle commenced. I lost 1 Cory and 1 baby tetra. Now a total of 10 fish in tank.

Before I added the Corys a week ago, I changed 50% water. Night before last I changed about 30% and added aragonite sand and a plant. Today my readings are 0 ammonia, .5 nitrite and 20 nitrate. Is it normal for everything to be so high after just changing less than 48 hours ago? Should I do daily ?

It kinda depends on how high your nitrates were before the 50% water change a week ago and how high they were before the 30%. Right now they are not too high. Without knowing those numbers we can't know if they are rising quickly or just nitrates accumulating over time and not being removed.

The .5 nitrite is just the result of the mini-cycle. It really should quickly work itself out and go back to zero.

How much filtration do you have in this tank? I am wondering if you have enough media for the bacteria to grow on. I find adding an air driven sponge filter to help if that is the case. .

 

It kinda depends on how high your nitrates were before the 50% water change a week ago and how high they were before the 30%. Right now they are not too high. Without knowing those numbers we can't know if they are rising quickly or just nitrates accumulating over time and not being removed.

The .5 nitrite is just the result of the mini-cycle. It really should quickly work itself out and go back to zero.

How much filtration do you have in this tank? I am wondering if you have enough media for the bacteria to grow on. I find adding an air driven sponge filter to help if that is the case. .

Mattgirl you are great by the way, you’ve helped me a ton and every post I click on to help others you’re already there dishing great advice. I still haven’t reached my nitrite phase but that’s alright my ammonia is pinned very low and my fish are very happy. I’ll put in the extra work for as long as it takes. I’m not sure if you remember my situation specifically. 7 days into my fish-in. Still waiting on nitrites. Do you think a sponge filter would be a beneficial addition in my tank? ( updated my profile with tank specifics). Thanks for the post everyone.

 

It kinda depends on how high your nitrates were before the 50% water change a week ago and how high they were before the 30%. Right now they are not too high. Without knowing those numbers we can't know if they are rising quickly or just nitrates accumulating over time and not being removed.

The .5 nitrite is just the result of the mini-cycle. It really should quickly work itself out and go back to zero.

How much filtration do you have in this tank? I am wondering if you have enough media for the bacteria to grow on. I find adding an air driven sponge filter to help if that is the case. .

You are awesome thank you! I don’t have numbers to compare either but I’ve done water changes pretty regularly so I really can’t imagine that nitrate levels were very high before I added the Corys. There were only 8 fish in. I did just do another 25ish % change today and added a bunch of plants. 3 amazon swords, 2 java ferns and 2 moss balls. I have a dual sponge filter running with my HOB filter and I added aragonite sand to help the PH since it’s the closest I could find to crushed coral without buying a 20lb bag. All this worry is because my Corys aren’t acting right!

I haven’t planted the plants yet because I’m waiting for my root tabs. I just dropped the in for now.

 

Yes it's normal, daily water change unnecessary.

Thank you!

 

Mattgirl you are great by the way, you’ve helped me a ton and every post I click on to help others you’re already there dishing great advice. I still haven’t reached my nitrite phase but that’s alright my ammonia is pinned very low and my fish are very happy. I’ll put in the extra work for as long as it takes. I’m not sure if you remember my situation specifically. 7 days into my fish-in. Still waiting on nitrites. Do you think a sponge filter would be a beneficial addition in my tank? ( updated my profile with tank specifics). Thanks for the post everyone.

Aw shucks. Thank you Of course I remember you and your situation. I am very proud of how well you are doing your fish in cycle. A sponge filter can never hurt but I don't think you need one. The aquaclear 50 on a 20 gallon tank should be enough.

You are awesome thank you! I don’t have numbers to compare either but I’ve done water changes pretty regularly so I really can’t imagine that nitrate levels were very high before I added the Corys. There were only 8 fish in. I did just do another 25ish % change today and added a bunch of plants. 3 amazon swords, 2 java ferns and 2 moss balls. I have a dual sponge filter running with my HOB filter and I added aragonite sand to help the PH since it’s the closest I could find to crushed coral without buying a 20lb bag. All this worry is because my Corys aren’t acting right!

I haven’t planted the plants yet because I’m waiting for my root tabs. I just dropped the in for now.

Thank you bunches. I understand how nervous new fish moms can be but I really think this was just a minI cycle. Keep up with the water changes and add Prime as needed to detox the low nitrite levels. It should zero out fairly quick.

Corys can sometimes be very active little creatures until they start feeling right at home. Some corys spend the majority of their time on the bottom but some other tend to like going all over the tank. What kind of corys do you have?

The plants should help keep your nitrates levels down.

 

Aw shucks. Thank you Of course I remember you and your situation. I am very proud of how well you are doing your fish in cycle. A sponge filter can never hurt but I don't think you need one. The aquaclear 50 on a 20 gallon tank should be enough.


Thank you bunches. I understand how nervous new fish moms can be but I really think this was just a minI cycle. Keep up with the water changes and add Prime as needed to detox the low nitrite levels. It should zero out fairly quick.

Corys can sometimes be very active little creatures until they start feeling right at home. Some corys spend the majority of their time on the bottom but some other tend to like going all over the tank. What kind of corys do you have?

The plants should help keep your nitrates levels down.

Ugly little albino Corys lol. I wanted pandas but no one had them. They are zipping across the top like crackheads lol glass surfing too so I’m just worried they aren’t happy.

I will just wait this out I guess. The boys are already bugging about when we can get the neon tetras they want . Told them they have to wait until this all settles!

 

Ugly little albino Corys lol. I wanted pandas but no one had them. They are zipping across the top like crackheads lol glass surfing too so I’m just worried they aren’t happy.

I will just wait this out I guess. The boys are already bugging about when we can get the neon tetras they want . Told them they have to wait until this all settles!

Oh shoot, albinos aren't ugly to me. I have albino and bronze. They are both the same kind of cory, just different colors. I remember mine doing the glass surfing for a little while after I got them but I can't remember how long they did it.

 

Oh shoot, albinos aren't ugly to me. I have albino and bronze. They are both the same kind of cory, just different colors. I remember mine doing the glass surfing for a little while after I got them but I can't remember how long they did it.

Lol I’m not a fan of them. We needed bottom dwellers but....see how that worked out for me. The boys like them. Hope they settle down soon.

 

Lol I’m not a fan of them. We needed bottom dwellers but....see how that worked out for me. The boys like them. Hope they settle down soon.

Wouldn't this be a boring world if we all liked the exact same thing. Sure would make it hard to find our own car in a parking lot